2019 FALL NEWSLETTER - CONCERT CHOIR TOUR TO SEATTLE, WASHINGTON

Concert Choir Tour to Seattle Washington

Concert Choir made some great memories in Seattle, Washington this year on tour. Music followed our youngest performing department group on their journey, with performances at Trinity Lutheran, First Congregational Church, Bellevue, and Hilltop House, as well as informal concerts at the top of the Space Needle and in one exhibition room at Chihuly Garden and Glass. Part of the magic of a Piedmont East Bay Children's Choir tour is the impromptu singing in unexpected places. It takes the pedestrians by surprise and infuses a bit of joy in the atmosphere.

One of the greatest things about the tour was seeing the kids making meaningful friendships and connecting over shared music with the singers of Columbia Choirs and Northwest Boychoir. Often the most memorable moments come from time spent with a homestay, a choir member, and their family who open their home to our visiting singers. Many concert choir members had homestays in Bellevue for the first two nights, as well as a shared concert with Columbia choirs on the day of arrival. Every singer was able to have dinner in the home of a fellow choir family on those two evenings, talking and sharing with their homestays. Once in Seattle, concert choir also participated in an exchange with the Northwest Boychoir. They were able to sing together, perform for each other, and socialize over a pizza dinner. These activities and experiences help singers deepen bonds with each other while making new friends and learning to be confident in their musical skills.

Concert choir shared their voices and musical skills at a particularly meaningful concert at Hilltop House, a Seattle Retirement community. They performed their entire repertoire for a group of senior residents and staff. After the show, singers were able to socialize with their audience, going in groups to chat with everyone in attendance. This unique, small concert experience allowed singers to see the impact that their music and singing can have on others. They could hear firsthand from the audience what song moved them or made them smile.

Similarly, concert choir’s informal performance at Chihuly gave singers a chance to sing in public, brightening the day of the other museum-goers. Tourists from Ukraine complimented the singers on their pronunciation of the Ukrainian words in Carol of the Bells, and one woman thanked them for making her birthday unexpectedly beautiful. This is the magic of choir tour; sharing the music they have worked on all year with the world and sharing the joy that singing can bring.